Lille head coach, Davide Ancelotti, has emphasised the need for a collective defensive approach to stop Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen when his side host Galatasaray in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
Ancelotti acknowledged the Super Eagles forward’s ability to decide matches, particularly recalling his influential role during his spell at Napoli.
The Italian coach maintained that containing the former Lille striker would require a coordinated team effort rather than depending on an individual defender.
“We stop him as a team. It doesn’t depend on one player; it always depends on the team,” Ancelotti was quoted as saying by French outlet Le Petit Lillois.
“He’s a player who, in Naples, almost single-handedly won the Scudetto,” he added.
Ancelotti also recognised the quality within the Galatasaray squad, warning that his players must remain focused throughout the encounter, both when attacking and defending.
“We know his potential, we know we always have to be vigilant when attacking and when defending,” he said.
“We know they’re a team with a lot of individual quality, with players who have a lot of experience in this competition, who know it well. We always have to be vigilant.”
The fixture will see Osimhen face his former club, Lille, where he spent the 2019/20 season before joining Napoli in 2020.
The Nigerian scored 18 goals in 38 appearances during his time with the French side.
The striker has continued to make his mark at Galatasaray this season, contributing six goals and three assists in seven appearances across all competitions, according to the figures in the original report.
However, he has failed to register a goal or assist in his last two matches against Barcelona and Gençlerbirliği.
Osimhen will be hoping to return to form against familiar opposition and score his first Champions League goal of the campaign as Galatasaray pursue a favourable result away from home.
Beyond the sporting contest, security concerns have also emerged ahead of the match following violent unrest in Lille.
According to French newspaper Le Parisien, Galatasaray contacted UEFA to seek assurances over the safety of its delegation before travelling for the encounter.
The reports, however, indicated that the Turkish club requested security guarantees rather than seeking a postponement or a change of venue.
The Champions League fixture is scheduled to take place at Lille’s Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Wednesday.
